It occurs to me that MySpace is still an enigma to most marketers.  Sure, everyone knows that there are a bazillion people in the network, but how many people know how to use it effectively?

Talk about a wide open field – MySpace is perhaps the biggest resource for social anthropology that exists on earth, at least for the youth market, and it’s free to use!  What makes this such a unique treasure trove is that everyone on it freely volunteers a detailed window into their minds.  But how do you capitalize on it?  There’s always the ‘easy’ way with standard advertising, but is this the most cost-effective?  I suspect not.

This morning, I saw a clever use of product placement/ad that was tacked onto the end of a video, which was distributed via a MySpace bulletin.  This particular clip was so well done that it almost seemed like an extension of the video itself!  The product didn’t beat me over the head or make me wait to see the video that I was there to see.  Instead, they made the message so relevant that I was engaged enough to watch it through to the end without losing interest.  How many brands can say that about their interruptive advertising?

There are endless ways to use MySpace to spread the word about your brand, but you have to really work it!  Get creative.  Think about how your target is using the site and get in the game!  You’d be surprised how level the playing field is in this medium.